New Year's Juice Cleanses

The new year is a perfect time to clear the slate, start fresh and reassess your goals for health and wellness. If you overdid it with sweets and fatty foods during the holidays, a New Year's juice cleanse can help reset your system and get your diet back on track.

Length of a Juice Cleanse

A safe amount of time for a juice cleanse is one to three days. Although you may hear about them lasting one, two or even three weeks, juice “fasts” are considered fad diets and aren’t healthy in the long-term. One to three days is enough time to reset your system without cutting out important nutrients such as protein and healthy fats.

Picking Fresh Ingredients

Get creative with your juices to obtain a wide range of nutrients and avoid getting bored. It’s winter, so you’ll have to work with what’s seasonally available, and that depends on where you live and shop. Fresh greens such as kale, watercress and cabbage are in season during the winter, as are carrots, beets and broccoli. Apples, pears, bananas, kiwis and clementines are all winter fruits. You can also juice frozen fruits and veggies, which opens up produce from any season. Just let them thaw before juicing. Watch this tutorial to learn more about using your Vitamix blender to create whole-food juices.

Seasonal Recipes

Warm up with a seasonal blend that combines apple and carrot juices with fresh ginger and fennel. Another warming variation blends carrot, apple and lemon juices with fresh chili peppers or cayenne pepper powder. Cabbage and beets are packed with antioxidants and widely available in winter months; pair the two in a nutrient-rich juice with oranges, ginger and a little rosemary. Or use beets in a naturally sweet root vegetable juice with carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips.

Benefits of Whole Food Juicing

Juices made in your Vitamix machine use the whole fruit and vegetable so there's no waste. You'll benefit from the inclusion of valuable dietary fiber that many juices made with conventional juicers lack. It aids digestion, helps you feel full and balances blood sugar. This is especially important with fruit juices because they can be high in sugar. For a cleansing beverage that’s packed with even more fiber, try blending versus juicing.